Mercury forecast to drop to 11 degrees in northern Taiwan Friday

Taipei-- Temperatures in northern Taiwan have begun to fall due to the arrival of a strong cold air mass and are likely to drop to around 11 degrees Celsius later Friday, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

The bureau said daytime highs of around 15-16 degrees Celsius could be expected Friday in northern Taiwan and 20-26 in other parts of the island.

However, by Friday night and into Saturday temperatures are forecast to drop to 11 degrees in northern Taiwan, 12 degrees in central Taiwan, 14 degrees in southern Taiwan, and 11-15 degrees in the east, according to the CWB.

It has issued a low temperature warning for New Taipei, Keelung, Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu cities, and also for Hsinchu and Miaoli counties in northern Taiwan, the eastern county of Yilan, the central city of Taichung, and offshore Kinmen and Lienchiang counties.

From Saturday to Jan. 24, areas north of Tainan City are likely to see lows of 10 degrees, while in other parts of the country the lows will range between 13 and15 degrees, the bureau said, urging the public to take cold-weather precautions.

During that period, partly cloudy or sunny skies can be expected, with occasional showers in eastern Taiwan and mountainous areas in northern Taiwan, the CWB said.

The effects of the cold air mass will linger until Jan. 24, after which temperatures will begin to climb, the bureau said.

But by Jan. 26, cold weather will set in again in northern and northeastern Taiwan due to seasonal northeastern winds, which is expected to also bring rain, the CWB said.

The weather in central and southern Taiwan will likely remain dry during that period, it added.